Around the World
by PFT
Summary: Ferb, Gretchen, and Baljeet are in a class called "Literary Footsteps" and are joined by Phineas, Isabella, and Ginger. Will this give Isabella and Phineas the chance to confess their feelings? And will they get back in the 2 week deadline?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: This Story occurs 2 years after Runaway, and 3 years after the show. Updates may not be regular, but I will have weekly status updates on my DeviantArt account (PFTWriter), and I hope to start posting related artwork there too. You can find the link on my profile. **

Prologue

"You remember the summer of '04?" Phineas asked Isabella.

"Yeah, what about it?" It was May 24th, and the group were almost at the end of 8th Grade. With School letting out the next day, they were all looking forward to their 104 days without it.

"Y'know, when we went around the world?"

"No I don't remember us getting stranded on an island in the middle of the Atlantic. Of course I remember. How could I forget?"

"What if we could do that this Summer?"

Isabella looked at the redhead next to her. That summer, 3 years ago, she had to look down a bit to make eye contact with Phineas, who had been one of the shortest kids in the grade. Now, he had shot up to 5'10", just a little taller than herself (5'8"). He still looked the same as he had back in that summer.

"Phineas, that was 3 years ago. Have you asked Ferb?"

Phineas scowled. "And I can't do anything myself?"

"But Ferb-"

"I can build too, Isabella."

"Alright, alright, cool your jets." Isabella replied with a hint of anger. That caused her to cringe a little. She still felt the same way about him, probably even more so since 2 summers ago. However, she had never told Phineas of this directly. Sure, she'd kissed him on the bus home from the field trip 2 months ago, when he was asleep, but she felt that it didn't count, seeing as he hadn't noticed (or had hidden it.).

"Sorry." Phineas also had a secret. One pertaining to the tall, petite teen still looking very much like she did 3 summers ago.

_During that time, I started thinking. 'I guess I never realized how much I liked her until I looked into those eyes…' _

_Isabella nudged me. "Whatcha thinkin'?"_

_I panicked. I couldn't tell her the truth, what if she didn't feel the same way? "I - just was thinking how lo-" Can't say that, what if she feels differently?"…ucky I am to have such a good friend."_

_"You're so sweet." She said, hugging me. It's a good thing she didn't see the huge blush on my face, otherwise she'd have freaked out. Then the plane began to taxi out._

"Hey, Lovebirds!" Phineas and Isabella turned around to face a fairly muscular, 5'7", boy with a buzzcut.

"We're not lovebirds, Buford." said Isabella. _Though I wish…_

"Hey, what's up?" Questioned Phineas.

"Just gonna work out with the High School Football Team over the summer."

"Is that even possible? For a Middle Schooler?"

Buford smirked. "Y'know, they only let me practice with the JV. Not great, but could be starting Varsity as a Freshman."

"All right!"

"We'll see if your muscles can pay off finally this year- if you can beat me in Foosball."

Buford grimaced. "I look forward to kicking your butt to China."

Isabella got in his face. "East or West?"

"East. Seriously, don't you remember what I said when we went 'round the world?"

_So, what do you guys think of the Pacific Ocean?_

_Eh, probably like my 5th favorite ocean._


	2. Delivery

Chapter 1: Delivery

I need a way to get to Phineas…

_thought Isabella. _Should I tell him… yeah, I'll tell him. _She started to her window when a thought stopped her. _What if he doesn't feel the same? What if… he already has a girl?__

This thought carried on in her head throughout the final day of school, and she barely even noticed anyone talking to her. Because Phineas had a dentist's appointment after school, she was walking home alone.

About 3 blocks from Maple Drive, Isabella was stopped. When she felt the hand on her shoulder, she quickly turned around. Standing behind her was Ginger. Ginger looked something like her sister, Stacy, did at that point. "Baljeet asked me to give this to you, but where is Phineas? I thought he usually walked home with you."

"Dentist."

"Right. See ya later!" And with that, Ginger left.

Isabella stood there for a minute. Then she opened the note.

Isabella,

Recently I entered a class called 'Literary Footsteps.' In the class, we were posed a challenge: Stop in several cities around the world, and get photos of us in front of certain landmarks in each city. We are also supposed to bring 6 people total- 3 in the class, 3 from outside the class, and . Luckily, Ferb, Gretchen and I are in it, and since Ginger and Phineas agreed to go along, we were wondering if you could go. -Baljeet

When Isabella got home, she showed the note to her mother. "Sure, you can go." With great speed, she ran over to the Flynn-Fletcher's and left the note on the porch, plus a new one: _Mom said yes. -I. _

However, as she was turning around to walk to Baljeet's, up walked the others. Baljeet and Ginger, Ferb and Gretchen walking hand-in-hand with each other. The sight of it made Isabella sigh sadly. _If only Phineas and I were like that…_

Suddenly, a delivery truck pulled up, and out hopped a delivery guy and Phineas. "All right, here's the parts that you need." He said, taking out the boxes and setting them on the lawn.

"Thanks." Replied Phineas as the deliveryman drove off.

"I thought that we were building it at my house." Said Baljeet.

"Yeah, but I already got permission to use our yard. Plus, your parents are leaving on a business trip tomorrow, remember? And our stuff is here. And you're staying with us."

"You're right. But where are your parents?"

"Oh, Mom's getting two cavities filled, and Dad's having a previous filling repaired…"

"Plus, since Isabella lives across the street, she can tell our better halves how things are going with the build." added Ferb.

Isabella sighed silently. _If only…_


	3. Journaling

Chapter 2: Journaling

_It only took 3 days to build. *sigh* With 3 days left until the launch, the 3 girls were assigned to find provisions for 2 weeks… Tomorrow, we set off…_

_Monday:_

_"You realize, Gretchen, that you've accounted for 3 2-person bunks?" Asked Phineas._

_"Yeah."_

_"Why?"_

_"To keep warm."_

_"Ahh. But wouldn't a six-person tent work?"_

_"Beds are more comfy. And that would be a little awkward, six people sleeping like that."_

_Besides, it means that she can sleep next to Baljeet, Gretchen with Ferb… and me with Phineas? Or was he…_

_"Guess I'll modify the captain's chairs a little."_

_Yep._

_Tuesday:_

_"Hey, Isabella, can I ask you something?"_

_My heart stopped. "Yeah, Phineas? Whatcha wantin'?"_

_"Can you help Gretchen with the storage cubes? She'll explain how it's done."_

_"Oh. Okay." I said, disappointedly._

_Wednesday:_

_Determined to talk to Phineas alone, I got out of bed at was out the door at 6... but Baljeet beat me - he probably woke the other 2 up . The boys were already there. Later, at 6, I thought I had a chance- until Mom came into the yard to pick me up for my dentist's appointment. It seemed like everybody in Danville was there for their check-ups- and I didn't get back till 8- when I rushed into the yard, Ginger apologized and said that they were already going to bed. On the bright side, we were done building. I trudged back to bed. I tried to call him, but I got no response. He was already asleep._

_Thursday:_

_I tried to beat Baljeet up, and I did! Fortunately, he and Ferb were still asleep. It was 5.30, and only Phineas was up._

Taking out a special pen, Isabella drew a small box- immediately, it filled in. Isabella hovered her fingers over it. And it became a little video screen. Phineas designed it for Irving, so that he could harness the greatest camera ever made. He also designed it for himself, and so he could go back to where he was, if his mind lost track. If Phineas were there, he would have seen a thin golden stream running from her fingertips to the screen, with golden sparks occasionally shooting off from her arm. As Phineas wasn't there, nor were any little kids, nobody saw them. And as she lifted her hand, the stream stopped, and a little video began to play.


	4. Moments Alone

Chapter 3: Moments Alone

_"Hey Isabella! What are you doing up so early?"_

_"I couldn't sleep."_

_"Me neither. Could I have some help inside the plane?"_

_"I thought Ferb was in charge of building."_

_"Only the outside. Inside is my task - and Gretchen's."_

_We stepped inside. Phineas shivered as a cold blast of wet, early morning air whirled through the cabin. Phineas closed the door, and we were alone. ALONE._

_He showed me everything- from where the storage cubes were to go, to where the bunks were. " That has been a bit contested between Ferb, Gretchen and I. They want it this way, but I wanted 6 bunks, one for each person. We compromised- curtains separating the halves of the bunk and curtains on the outside to give privacy. Ferb tried to use democracy to settle it, but Gretchen argued that the compromise was best, and curtains can be moved."_

_"I thought you and Ferb agreed on most things."_

_"Until you reach religion and morals, yes."_

_"But you're both Christian."_

_"Indeed. But not the same type."_

_"I-"_

_"Could we please not talk about this right now?" He handed me a drill with a screwdriver bit in it. Without speaking, I could tell what he wanted me to do. I began to install the curtain rods on the top bunk, and Phineas on the lowest._

_After a while, I noticed a lack of noise coming from the bottom bunk. I popped my head down and saw him facing out the window. Baljeet, Ginger, and Ferb were talking to Gretchen. Then the first 3 left, presumably to get food, and Gretchen began checking stuff off on a notepad. Phineas sighed and I slid into the seat next to him._

_"What's wrong?"_

_"Nothing."_

_"Phineas Flynn, I can tell when you're lying."_

_He rested his head on my shoulder. "Do you think… I talk too much? And take too much credit?"_

_"Why would I think either of you?"_

_"Ferb said so. Candace agreed."_

_"Since when did you care what others said about you?"_

_"Ferb threatened to stop working with me on summer projects unless I do 3 things: Give him more credit, speak less, and charge more."_

_"Charge more? You mean, actually make us pay for tagging along?"_

_"I told him no on the last one."_

_"Oh." I paused. "Um… Phineas? I've been meaning to tell you…" I was interrupted by a pounding on the door. I went to open the door. There stood Gretchen._

_"Hey, Isabella. How long have you been there? Anyway, I need you to go and find these things…"_

_I swear, she had a list that was the size of a novel. By lunch, I had done most of it, and was back by 1. Phineas was still working on the interior of the plane. However, he wasn't doing as good a job as he could have, and he was clearly tired. It wasn't remotely hidden, and even a person as oblivious as he could've noticed it._

_Eventually, I convinced him to take a nap, which he did. However, he wasn't up by 5, when I had to be at the Troop 46231 meeting._


	5. Friendly Advice

Chapter 4: Friendly Advice

_All we were doing was discussing new defense strategies, ones that could not backfire as horribly as 701 did last year. Ever since we made him an honorary Fireside Leader after 701's backfire, the only holes that haven't been patched up (physically and metaphorically) are the holes in our defense._

_We were discussing 3 of Phineas' plans. Plan 801 called for the Secret Clubhouse to be disguised, and Plan 814 called for the Secret Clubhouse to be able to move if needed. Plan 816 was similar to 701, except that it would only be against rival Troops, like 17889, who try to attack. _

_Not everyone agreed, and spent a lot of time debating this. Then we got the whole "Is Phineas' honorary membership against our values?" We spent 40 minutes arguing about THAT. Again._

_I got back at 8.30, and he was in bed already. And so, I never got to tell him… because on Friday, he went with Ferb and Ginger to test the plane. He was out all day._

_On another note, Buford has barely shown up in the backyard…_

Isabella heard footsteps approaching, so she quickly closed her book and stuffed it into her backpack.

"Hey." Said Buford.

"Hey." Snapped Isabella. "What d'ya want?"

"Whoa," retorted Buford, stepping back a bit, "I was only gonna ask if you guys needed anything."

Isabella was puzzled. "Wouldn't it be more like you to tell us that it's impossible?"

"Nope. I've seen what Dinner Bell and Ferb can do."

"Hmm." Isabella looked doubtful of his sincerity.

"Oh. Right. You've still got the crush on Dinner Bell."

Isabella quickly turned to Buford. "Wha- You haven't told him, have you?"

"No, no, I haven't. But it's inevitable."

"Well if you say so…"

"Just be forewarned- he's not going to be a great romantic person. He's not that type. He's not going to be always looking for hugs and kisses. He'll-"

Isabella interrupted. "I don't even want to know how you know this."

"All right. Fair enough. You might want to go home and sleep soon. You know Baljeet'll want you up at the crack of dawn and panic until the plane's taken off."

"Alright. Hey, where have you been recently?"

"Practicing for our rematch. I'll be ready to defeat you when you arrive back in Danville."


	6. A Word From Phineas

Chapter 5: A Word From Phineas

Meanwhile, in the Flynn-Fletcher House, Phineas sat in the Panic Room. Not because he was afraid, but because he wanted peace and quiet. Phineas pulled out his VSP, and drew a little box. Like Isabella's did, Phineas' box immediately filled in. As he hovered his hand over it, he watched the golden stream run down his arm, and into the paper.

_Candace, Ferb, and I were getting ready for bed, and Baljeet was already asleep. As Candace left, I spoke. "Ready for Saturday?"_

_Ferb sighed. "Yes."_

_"What's up?"_

_"Hopefully our plane."_

_"What do you mean? You were with me when we ran the models."_

_"We crashed 5 times last time- Tokyo, The Himalayas, Paris, some desert island, and Danville."_

_"We're not traveling anywhere near that speed this time."_

_"That's another thing. WE build it, but YOU get all the credit!"_

_"It's not my fault that people do that!"_

_"It is, because you talk so much! TOO MUCH!" Ferb screamed._

_"I second that! On both accounts!" Yelled Candace from her room._

_"But I can explain it to them." I pleaded._

_"And why do they need to know? Look at how much we did that summer! And how little we got!"_

_"But the memories…"_

_"Priceless. Thank you, MasterCard. And it's because I can build better than you! So look, if you want me to stay, give me more credit, talk less, and charge more."_

_Ferb started to leave the bathroom, when I spoke up. "I will not do the third thing." He looked at me. "I will not."_

_"Oh, look at the generous kid- maybe he'll give everything away, and become a religious hermit!"_

_"Religion has nothing to do with it." And with that, I walked past Ferb, and went into our room._

_After I entered the room, I encountered Baljeet, who had been woken up by the noise. "What happened?"_

_"I don't want to talk about it." I said, through gritted teeth, grabbing my pillow and blanket, then proceeded to exit the room, but not before turning to Baljeet and saying, "You can sleep on the bed if you want."_

Phineas began to write underneath it, with a regular pen.

_I set up a bed on the couch in the Living Room, and tried to sleep. Ferb probably explained it all to Baljeet. Mom and Dad were at an antiques convention in Milwaukee, and Candace was in charge of us. The next few hours rolled by until I looked at the Cable Box- the time was displayed in calm, yellow numbers- 3:30. Groggily, I went into the kitchen, grabbed a Pop-Tart, and went outside. Grabbing the tool box, I entered the Plane. For 2 hours, I added the final touches to the interior. At about 5:25, I saw the Garcia-Shapiro front door open. There was Isabella. The Girl of my dreams. How could I tell her how I felt? I mean, how?_

Phineas looked at the clock next to him, an atomic clock of his design. 7:55. _Mom and Dad should be home in a few minutes, _thought Phineas.


	7. TakeOff

**Sorry it's been so long, but my computer now has intermittent internet capabilities. Publishing will be intermittent until I get a new computer.**

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Isabella looked up at her clock. 5:22. It had been beeping for the last 2 minutes. Groggily, she sat up and walked over to the window. Gretchen and Ginger (who was stifling a yawn) were already entering the yard as the first golden glints of sun crept into the yard.

When she got there, Gretchen was checking things off, while Baljeet and Ginger were unpacking things, and Phineas and Ferb were packing the storage cubes they invented 2 summers ago, which had proved so useful in finding Phineas. And the invention before the inorganic-into-food machine. Isabella remembered the point of contention she raised the day _that_ was invented.

_"See?" He said. "No one's been injured on our equipment."_

_"Yet. Look, Phineas. Someone's going to get hurt someday, and I don't want to see that happen."_

_"But-"_

_"Look you stubborn ox! Sometimes I wish I'd never met you!" And with that, I stormed off._

This time, she kept her mouth shut.

"Hey Iz," asked Gretchen, "Could you pick up another case of water bottles?"

"Found the last box! And it has the missing water bottles!"

"Never mind, Iz."

**Isabella POV**

Around 10:00, the plane slowly moved down Maple Drive to the Airport, with Phineas driving it like a car. When we got near the airport, a large crowd had gathered. 5 other planes had joined our Parade. At 10:30, 30 minutes before liftoff, Baljeet ordered that the systems be checked one more time. At 10:55, Phineas turned on our engine.

"Okay, we should be at our first stop in 8 hours." Baljeet was doing calculations to take his mind off of things. Most likely what happened the last time we flew a plane in thid direction.

"Lighten up, 'Jeet." said Ginger, putting her arm around his shoulder. I rolled my eyes. It gets kind of annoying being a single person, trying to tune out the romance between couples.

11:00. Phineas attempted to put the plane in gear. All he got was a jolt. He'd left the brakes on. "Oops." Baljeet, Ginger, and Gretchen looked as white as ghosts. Ferb looked kind of mad at Phineas. I guess whatever they fought about is still being a contention point between the 2. The plane began to slowly move as he disengaged the brakes. Shortly after taking off, I went into the sleeping area, hopped into my bunk, and began to catch up on the sleep I lost this morning.


	8. Little Trick

**Little Trick**

When Isabella woke up about 3 hours later, she hit her head on the top of the bunk. Technically, it was the roof- since she had been more than insistent on that subject. Below her bunk were 2 more. Only the one on the bottom was occupied- Ginger and Baljeet cuddling sweetly. _I wish Phineas and I were like that._ Phineas was at the controls alone- Gretchen and Ferb were in the kitchen making lunch. Seeing an opportunity, she sat in the co-pilot seat.

"Hey, Iz."

"Hey. Whatcha doin'?"

"Just keeping a heavier-than-air object airborne."

"Okay," Isabella paused for a moment, then continued: "Phineas, there's something I-" But the plane began to shake violently after an almost inaudible 'Bang!' Phineas and Isabella heard it, though. Isabella turned to Phineas, who was frantically searching the control panel.

Phineas looked at his instruments. _The left wing engine is out. _"Isabella! Whatever it is, it can wait! What's our pitch?"

"Oh- Uh-" She frantically responded, looking for the gauge marked PITCH. "14 Down."

"Crap."

"Is that bad?"

"Well, at 15 we stall, so, yes." Then he quickly grabbed the intercom. "Everybody in seats and buckled! We're experiencing turbulence!" _I sure hope that was a good lie. Cause it's a long way down. _4 people sat down and 5 struggled to buckle up.

"14.5!"

"Here we go." And he began to pull up as hard as he could.

"15.2!" The stall light came on.

"Hold on!" He pointed to a control box. "Iz, press the up button on that!"

The plane began to move up. "13!" The stall light turned off.

"Once more!"

"10!"

With that, Phineas regained control over the plane and stabilized it. Then, he looked at Isabella and the others. All of them were pale and their hair was standing on end. "Told you it'd come in handy."

Isabella was the first to unbuckle. She then ran to the bathroom and proceeded to lose her breakfast.

**Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter is so short, the Chapters will certainly lengthen from now. Publishing should, however, become a more regular occurrence. Also, if you ever swing by my DeviantArt page, please say hi, suggest something, or something to show I'm not just talking to myself on DeviantArt. The Link is on my Profile Page. Thanks! **


	9. Golden Gate

**Chapter 4- Golden Gate**

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" asked Gretchen.

"I gotta find out why we hit turbulence and nearly dropped out of the sky. But we've also gotta get a picture of us in front of the Golden Gate," said Phineas, pointing to the conveniently close bridge. "Besides, I'd never be able to forgive myself if I stopped you guys seeing it, or if I saw it, but the plane fell out of the sky."

"But-"

"You 5 go. The sooner you do, the sooner we get to go to warm, sunny Hawaii."

"If you say so." And they left.

_Isabella POV_

_Another city, and he's stuck fixing the plane. Sigh. 3 hours ago, I resolved to tell him, but we hit turbulence. I don't think that it was just turbulence- He seems to be hiding something. What it is, we probably won't know. Even as I look at the others- they don't seem bothered. Ginger's in awe just looking around. The view is spectacular…_

"Hey Isabella!" I shut the book quickly as Ginger skips over. "C'mon! You have to see this!" I oblige. "Isn't it awesome?"

"Terrific." I say sarcastically, putting my head in my hands.

"What's up Iz?"

"It's Phineas."

"What about him?"

"Y'know, he's fixing a plane again. And he's not here."

"Ya gotta give him time Iz."

"I know. I just wanna know if he feels the same."

"He does seem genuinely worried."

"That's the problem! We spent 3 days building it! And testing it! It wasn't like the Sunbeater 3000! That got done overnight!"

Ginger looked over at the others, who were laughing happily. Then she sat down next to me. "You realize how good he is at what he does, don't you?"

I looked up. "What do you mean?"

"He built the plane in a week. And tested it."

"And Ferb."

"Ferb can build, yes. But he lacks the imagination, planning, and dedication. Without Phineas, Ferb couldn't do anything big. You remember when Phineas ran away?"

"Yeah, what?"

"While you were off in that town saving him, Ferb was confiding with Baljeet. Ferb didn't build anything. In fact, he even told Baljeet that he was stuck."

Now I was confused. "What are you telling me?"

"Phineas is good. An average plane takes months to build, weeks if you're lucky. Phineas accomplished that in 3 days with Ferb. Plus, Isabella, you remember the last time we did something like this? The plane fell apart, nearly stranding us in the middle of the Atlantic. My hunch? He doesn't want to have to do that again."

_Phineas POV_

Oh my gosh.

Just looking at this is terrifying. The wing has burn marks everywhere. Then, I see it. A spare wire- plastic stripped off the end, loosened from its holder. After melting part of the wing, it got embedded inside of it. I'm gonna need a blowtorch and some more peanut butter- and a left wing replacement.

I was replacing the left wing when they came back. "Well- uh- the wing got rattled around badly during the turbulence."


	10. Another Disaster Averted

**Another Disaster Averted**

_Phineas POV_

I'll sleep when we land in Hawaii- Honolulu, if you want to be precise. I look at the time. 4:04 in Danville. 11:04 in Hawaii.

"Tower Hotel Oscar November, do you copy? Over." Static.

"Yeah, Delta Alfa Four Two, we copy. Over."

"Tower Hotel Oscar November, this is Delta Alfa Four Two, requesting permission to land. Over."

"Aren't you a little young to be piloting a plane? Over."

"Yes, yes I am. Over."

"Well, it's nice to see some young people taking an interest in flying. You may proceed to Hotel Sierra." Just then, an overheat light came on for the right wing. I looked at the temperature gauge- climbing 10 degrees a second, and it was at 2,000 Fahrenheit.

"Roger that. But do you have a closer airstrip? I have an overheating wing at 2,000 and rising fast? Over."

"Did you say 2,000? Over."

"Yes. Over."

"Proceed to Echo Alfa Sierra. Do you require assistance?"

"Roger that. Negative, it'll be fixed in a second." Just then, he pushed the code to activate the fire extinguisher in the right wing. Carbon Dioxide flooded it. "It's fixed, but we may begin a very fast drop. Over."

"Roger that, Delta Alfa Four Two. We'll be watching. Over."

"Roger that." I said while trying to wrestle the plane to a smooth landing. 4:23. 600 feet, falling at a rate of 15 a second. _Please don't stall. _14.6.

4:24. 105 feet, down 8 a second. I only begin breathing again as the plane reaches the tarmac.

"Way to go kid. Over."

"Thank you. Is there anyone there who can help me with the wing? I don't want to scare the passengers in the back. Over."

"Roger that," said a different voice, "He'll be there in a second. Over and Out."

I opened the door to find a young man waiting there. "Thanks."

"No Prob. Name's Rob."

"Nice to meet you, Rob. I'm Phineas Flynn."

His eyes opened. "THE Phineas Flynn? Didn't you go around the world in 24 hours in '04?"

"Yep. If you don't mind-"

"Oh, sorry, yes." Rob laughed nervously. "You're just a legend of the transport industries." Rob and I carefully pulled the wing apart. He shined his flashlight in. "Did you know that there was paper and an oxygen tank in there? And that someone cut a wire?"

"What?"

"I'm serious," he said pointing at the empty oxygen tank, wire, and burnt paper. "and it looks like the wing took a beating. Although, I do like your solution." He added, pointing at the empty fire extinguisher. "But I don't know how you made it so far with this."

"I need to fix this."

"Couldn't it wait till morning?" He asked, pointing at his watch.

"Morning, they'll be up. And I don't want them worrying about this because 3 of my passengers accompanied me around the world. And they remember how disastrous that became. I don't want this time to go like the last time."


	11. Revelations

**Revelations**

Phineas woke up at 6:00, an hour earlier than he did normally. _But this is far from normal. And we're currently on Pacific Time, so I'd be waking up 4 hours late for me. _After setting up the scaffolding, he had changed into the shorts- old T-shirt combination that he wore to bed, sleeping in the cockpit. However, in order to change out of his sleepwear, He climbed into his bunk with his usual outfit. He passed his hand over a slightly discolored panel, which unfolded to form a small shelf. On it sat a photo of Isabella and him; Perry; Mom, Dad, Candace, Ferb, and him; and one of his friends on Maple Drive. Also there was a fresh stack of Graph Paper, in case he had a good idea.

Phineas had almost changed, and was putting on his socks, legs dangling over the side of the bunk, when he knocked the picture of Isabella off the shelf. He tried to catch it, but it slipped from his grasp, and he cringed as it hit someone in the bottom bunk (followed shortly by a groggy, quiet, "Ouch."). Quickly, he pulled up his legs, shut the curtain, and hoped that the person on the bottom bunk would fall back to sleep. A small "Thud!" occurred- _Thank goodness that that frame was a soft one- _Followed by the unmistakable "Thud!" of someone getting out of bed. _Please don't be Baljeet, Ferb, or Isabella. _The figure climbed the bunks, frame in hand.

Suddenly the figure popped up into view, first with its hand- Ginger's hand, specifically, with the frame in it. "Can I talk to you, Phineas?"

Phineas was dumbfounded for a moment. Then he shook his head, and replied, "Yeah, sure."

Ginger entered, sitting down across from Phineas. She gently set the picture frame of Isabella back. "I think that was a brilliant Idea."

Phineas looked puzzled. "What?"

"The Shelf."

"Oh." Phineas sighed softly, and without realizing it, drifted into his imagination, while staring at the photo.

"Phineas." Ginger broke the train of thought developing in his mind.

"Sorry. Was I out long?"

"Long enough." She turned towards the shelf, and picked up a piece of graph paper. Quickly, she drew something on a small piece of it, then tore it off the main piece, and tucked it into a corner of the frame. It was a little heart with _P.F. and I.G.S. _written on it.

When he saw it, Phineas shrugged. "I tried to hide it from everyone but Isabella." Then, putting his head down, he spoke again. "I guess she doesn't feel the same way."

Ginger smiled, then put her hand on Phineas' shoulder. When he looked up at her, she spoke. "But she does, Phineas, she does. Everyone but you have seen it since we were 10. You were just too busy trying to make the rest of us happy. Although the time Isabella got closest, Ferb tried to cling on, and ended up stuck with you. Heck, had you not had to fix the plane in San Francisco, she probably would've told you herself!"

"You think so?"

"Phineas, Isabella has had a crush on you for 3 or 4 years now. How long has it been since you started having feelings for her?"

"2 years."


	12. First Kiss

**First Kiss**

Isabella woke up to find an empty cockpit, except for a note.

_Hey. Left at 7 am to find something. Don't try to fly the plane, or go under the scaffolding. Will be leaving at 9:45 pm- enjoy yourselves! -Phineas._

Isabella looked at the clock on the wall. 12:25. _He's been gone for 5 and a half hours… Wait. We didn't fix that. It's 7:25 here!_

She ran to get the others up. "Wake up, you guys! We're in Honolulu!" Immediately, 3 heads hit the top of their bunks. Ginger didn't. She just slid onto the floor. The other 3 soon followed suit.

"Bathing suits!" Screamed Ginger, who ripped the storage cube of bathing suits off the shelf. Grabbing her pink-and-orange suit, she zipped into the bathroom, while the others were left to find theirs. Nobody else realized that she'd been up earlier, at about the time Phineas left. If they did, Isabella and Baljeet might be suspicious, while Gretchen and Ferb wouldn't have cared.

About half an hour later, they had grabbed all their stuff and were in their bathing suits, with old t-shirts thrown on, and flip-flops on their feet. They all laughed on the way there. Except Isabella, who slipped under the scaffolding to find the bare frame of the wing- and the outer part of the wing, with the tale of destruction. Suddenly, she heard a pair of sneakers crossing the runway toward her. Silently, she slipped under the body of the plane. The sneakers headed into the plane, and Isabella stayed still. After she hadn't heard them for 20 minutes, she decided to slip under the scaffolding outside. She was so sure that it had gone away that the next sound caused her to panic:

"What are you doing, Isabella?"

Isabella turned around to face the noise. Phineas. "I- um-"

He raised his hand up. "Did you see anything?"

"No- I-"

He put his hand over her mouth. "Where are the others?"

"The Beach."

"Did you see anything?"

Isabella panicked. _Uh-oh. Quick! Ummm… _"Nothing."

Phineas sighed. "You know, you might want to look at your hands before telling me that." Isabella looked down at her hands. They were covered with ash. "Come on, you're going to go to the beach and enjoy yourself."

"But-"

"I'm going with you. I need to tell you something."

About an hour later, they were sitting on the beach just beyond the runway, alone, and just watching the waves when Isabella spoke: "So about what I was going to say yesterday- I- I- just wanted to say- that-" Phineas looked at her with a sparkle in his eyes. Then he put his arms around her, and, without speaking, kissed her.

Isabella was so shocked at this that her eyes became as wide as saucers, but then her eyelids fluttered and she returned the kiss.

A lifetime later, or at least what it felt like to the 2 of them, it ended. "Was that what you were trying to tell me?"

She nodded. "I've been waiting for that since I was 9."

Phineas laughed. "And here I've been worrying about you not feeling the same way for the last 2 summers."

"Wait. You've been crushing on me for the last 2 years?"

"Guess I'm not the only one who's oblivious, am I?" He said with a playful smirk.


	13. Gateway to the World

**Gateway to the World**

The others beat Isabella and Phineas back. Baljeet looked concerned. "The wing… Somebody tried to burn it while we were gone!"

Phineas glanced at Isabella. "That's what I found out this morning." Isabella gasped. "That's why I was gone so early. I needed the repair parts. You guys go get stuff for dinner."

"But what about you, Phineas? Why are we leaving you? Why do we need to go get food when we have it in there?" He said, pointing to the airplane.

"Because I need to shut the power off to fix this. We may be here for a little while. And then I need to test it, which may involve sudden jolts. Go on. Have fun. I'll call you guys when I'm done."

"All right. Where should we go?" asked Gretchen, as she and the others walked away.

Isabella looked back at her boyfriend-of-six-hours. _Already he's back to working on the plane. Why didn't he want us to go into that area? _Isabella sighed. _I've got my wish, but he doesn't seem to be much of a boyfriend._

Soon after, they stopped outside a Pizza Hut. "This looks like a good place to eat." Gretchen said.

"But it's a Pizza Hut! They're all over the place!" exclaimed Baljeet.

"So?"

"All right. We'll go get a table." And Ferb and Baljeet entered to get a reservation.

Once they were inside, the 2 girls turned to Isabella. "Why were you so late? In fact, why weren't you there at all?" asked Gretchen.

"And how did Phineas find you?"

"And-"

"Wait a sec, Gret." Ginger turned to Isabella, who was beginning to grin goofily, with a dreamy look on her face. "He did."

"He did what?"

Isabella shook her head quickly, "Sorry, did I miss anything?"

Ginger turned to Gretchen. "Phineas and Isabella are an item!" They both squealed.

Isabella hugged Ginger and whispered. "Thank you."

Ginger whispered back. "That's what friends are for."

It took Phineas shorter than expected to rewire the wing. In fact, it was so short, that when he told them he was done, they were about to be seated, only an hour after leaving. The waitress had no problem setting another place, and he would occupy that spot 10 minutes later, while carrying a fairly large cardboard box.

"What's in the box?" asked Ferb.

"I'll tell you guys later."

They ordered 2 extra-large cheese pizzas. Shortly after they were delivered, Phineas went out of earshot with the waitress, and explained what the cardboard box was for, and asked a favor of her.

"Of course," She said.

When Phineas returned to the table, Gretchen asked him where the box went. "I guess he ran off."

"What did?" asked Isabella.

"It was one of those wild pigs- you know, the ones that are native to Hawaii."

Isabella returned to eating her pizza. When she was about halfway through her fourth slice, Phineas lightly brushed his foot against Isabella's. Lightly enough to not hurt, but not light enough to be ignored. Isabella's eyes widened as she glanced around the table, looking for signs that anyone else felt it, but no one else did. When she went to take a gulp of root beer, Phineas used both of his feet to pinch Isabella's. Isabella sprayed her soda… all over Phineas.

The other 4 at the table glanced at Isabella and Phineas. Isabella shrunk down in her seat. It was Phineas who broke the silence. "Well I guess I deserved that."

"What are you talking about?" asked Isabella with a look of part anger, part shame, and part curiosity. "I swear, there was…" But she looked up at Phineas grinning, and anger took over. Intending to smack Phineas in the shin, she kicked. However, in her anger, she missed, kicking the table, and knocking her soda in her lap. She left feeling angry and humiliated. In the bathroom however, she couldn't help but laugh. Phineas was nothing but a rule-follower, and there was a 'No Animals Allowed' sicker on the front door.

About 30 minutes later, after the Pizza was done, the waitress brought out the box Phineas had before. And it was then that they did see what it was.

Ginger and Gretchen gasped, then squealed in delight. It was a model replica of the Sunbeater 4000 with a boy and girl kissing in the front window. Isabella looked hard at the 2 figures as she realized who the boy and girl were- her and Phineas. "And now," began Phineas, "I would like to raise a toast," And they all raised up their root beer glasses with him, "to a great trip! From the gateway to the world to Danville!"

Phineas looked out the window at the stars and clouds flying past his window. On his shoulder slept Isabella, while below him were Ginger and Baljeet, and in the pilot's seat was Ferb- with Gretchen in the copilot's seat. As Phineas turned back to the stars, he made a promise. _Nothing can go wrong in Paris. I owe Izzy that, at least._


	14. Tokyo

**Tokyo**

The next thing Phineas knew, Ferb was waking him up. "Rise and Shine, Phin."

Phineas rubbed his eyes. "Huh? Are we on the ground yet?"

"Nope. The landing gear jammed."

"When?" He asked, jumping from the top bunk.

"20 minutes ago."

"Then why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"Because the girls wanted to get their 'Unjamming the landing gear' patch."

Phineas sighed. So much for nothing going wrong. "Alright." He started towards the cockpit. Then he stopped and turned around. "Could you get me a coffee?"  
>"No Prob."<p>

Phineas entered the cockpit. He quietly slipped into his seat. The coffee followed with Ferb. "Thanks. How far are we?"

"130 from Tokyo, 245 from the landing site. Tokyo shifted us there- our original strip was taken by a plane called Air Force One."

Phineas nearly spit out his coffee. "The Air Force One? Dang! I wonder how many people can say that they lost their landing spot to the President!"

Ferb shrugged.

4 Hours Later

Having left Ferb to fix the landing gear, the 5 others had headed into Tokyo. "Why did we even need to visit it? We have to go to the Eiffel Tower- And this is a replica!"

Ginger giggled. "Relax. This is Japan. Do the names Sony and Nintendo mean anything to you?"

Baljeet gasped. "You are right, Ginger! I forgot!"

Isabella stifled a yawn. "I'm gonna head back to the plane. Anyone else with me?"

"I'll go too, chief."

"Alright. If something happens, we'll try to call." Phineas punctuated his sentence with a quick kiss. Isabella had hearts in her eyes for a second before walking off with Gretchen.

Phineas turned towards the others. "Now, where do we start?"

"How about that arcade?" Ginger pointed to an arcade behind Phineas. Baljeet began walking towards it, and the others followed.

Then Baljeet spotted it. "No way!"

Ginger turned her head sideways. "What's so great about it?"

"This game is famous throughout the video gaming world! To be on the high scores is to be an extreme gamer, but to be highest scorer is…" Phineas paused, then continued, "…to be in the best in the world. It is like the ultimate patch of the Fireside Girls."

Ginger gasped. "You mean that's it's like-" Phineas nodded. Baljeet put the token in the slot. Several people had begun to murmur.

Baljeet was about to do free play, when Phineas stopped him. "I challenge you to go for the Time Trial."

Baljeet looked at the top bar, which displayed the fastest time that it had been done in. "But that's 2 and a half minutes! 10 levels gives me 15 seconds on each level!"

"You can do it, Baljeet."

"I-I-I… You do it first!"

"Alright." Phineas selected Time Trial. As he did, the world around him collapsed, shrinking to just the video game cabinet.

* * *

><p>Phineas looked around. To his left was a aged 64-bit background, reminiscent of the Nintendo 64 games he played years ago. To his right, he could see himself at the controls. In front of him stood a gigantic opponent. It reminded him of Buford- built like a tank, with a Buzzcut, and muscular. 3...2...1...<p>

Go. Phineas ran from his starting position towards as the seconds dragged into minutes. Dodging the attacks thrown, Phineas ran towards his opponent, kicking his legs out from under him, then jumping high into the air, slamming his foot into his opponent's face like a meteor. It had taken the record holder 10 seconds to clear this guy: Phineas had just done it in 5.5.

The next 6 levels flew by. He completed the first 7 levels in 70 seconds. The former record at this point was 114. However, the previous record holder made easy work of the last level, completing it in 24.3 seconds, meaning Phineas had 68.3 seconds to beat the record.

Easier said than done. 30 seconds in, and Phineas still had to get the final boss down 50 more Health Points. What made it worse was that each second, Phineas seemed only to be able to deal 1 damage. The controls weren't helping much either- Phineas gripped onto them hard, as most players did, and the vibrations of each time he attacked the boss threw him off.

The manufacturers had understood this problem, and gave the player the option of up to 3 minutes, between levels, to get their hands to stop wringing. They also gave the opportunity to pause for 2 minutes, in the middle of the level, but at the penalty of 10 seconds on the timer.

Although Phineas failed to realize it, these breaks gave the opportunity for anyone to watch- Phineas now had 29 seconds left to set the record, and the boss had 40 health left- as Phineas could have seen, had he only turned around. There were maybe 130, 140 people behind him, watching the game unfold on a big-screen TV broadcasting the game right next to the Phineas, Baljeet, and Ginger. There was also a way for the screen to be easily rebroadcast by news organizations, who were now actually doing so, owing to the absolutely boring day that was going on in the world. Across Japan and the USA, people were watching the game unfold live. In all of these locations, half of the people waited in bated breath, half were cheering. Almost no one knew who these kids were, but nearly everyone was rooting for Phineas.

* * *

><p>As this was unfolding, Isabella and Gretchen entered the airplane. Ferb was reclining, watching the events unfold on the small screen in front of him. Ferb turned towards them. "Maybe you should've stayed back there…" His voice trailed off as he saw something behind them. As he picked up his binoculars to survey, Isabella and Gretchen crowded around the TV screen.<p>

Ferb was looking around the outside when he saw it. A group of jeeps at the back of the airstrip. The drivers were arguing with the gatekeeper. Then the driver of the first jeep pulled out a gun and held it to the gatekeeper's head. Then the second driver ran in and lifted the gate.

This set off alarms in Ferb's head. Quickly he closed the door and began to prepare the plane for take-off.

The girls stared, confused, at Ferb as he changed the small screen to radar. Isabella spoke first. "Ferb? What's going on?"

"We've got to get out of here." He said, continuing to run the pre-flight checklist. A group of attackers were blown backwards from the airplane's turbine engines.

"But Phineas… and Ginger… and Baljeet- what about them?" Isabella asked Ferb, intense worry in her eyes. "We can't just leave them behind!"

"We don't have a choice."

Isabella started running towards the door. "Yes we do! Let me out!"

Ferb nodded towards Gretchen, who ran over to Isabella and Vulcan Pinched Isabella. She was out cold, and Gretchen carried her to a nearby seat, strapping her in quickly before herself.

After Gretchen buckled up, Ferb pushed the engines to the max, taking off just as shots flew through the air, some rebounding off the plane, some impaling themselves in the skin of the plane.

Isabella woke up while the plane was taking off, and weakly, sobbed "Phineas…"

* * *

><p>While Ferb was busy putting the plane into the sky, Phineas was now back in the game. He ran back towards the boss. Then, just as it looked like he was going to run into the boss, he dived, foot first. He knocked the boss's legs out from under him, then backflipped, smacking into his head. 2 seconds, 39 damage. Phineas finished the boss with one last kick.<p>

Phineas snapped back to his body. The time was just appearing on the screen. 122.1 seconds. The room erupted with ear-splitting cheers. Phineas turned around, grinning ear to ear.

A gunshot pierced through the sound of the crowd. The cheers quickly turned to screms of terror as the crrowd ducked, praying that they would not be shot. There was a group left standing- maybe 4 or 5 people. The one fired off another shot. The room went silent.

The figure holding the gun stepped forward. "Blanks. You have to love them."

Ginger scoffed. "No, no we don't."

The figure looked towards Ginger. "Hmmm." Then he turned toward Baljeet. "Which one of you insufferable foreigners did it?"

Phineas stepped in front of Baljeet and Ginger. "I did."

The man with the gun punched Phineas across the face. "Worthless American."

Phineas looked back at the man with a devious and pained smile. "Hit me again. I dare you. Just know," He continued, pulling a card out of his wallet. Then he threw it to the man with the gun. "Just be warned, I have back-up."

The man was about to squeeze down on the trigger. The 3 closed their eyes, all saying VERY quick and silent prayers.

They heard the gunshot, as if in slow motion… Waiting for the inevitable bullet to pierce through someone's skull...


	15. Tokyo, Part II

**Tokyo, Part II**

**A/N: I know I don't usually do authors notes, but I would like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. I hate to sound corny, but knowing that there are people who like this story really makes my day, and keeps me writing this story, even when I'm having a bad day.**

**And, for some reason, this chapter just got stuck. Motionless. Until very late last night.  
><strong>

The three of them were taken to a hotel room, where Baljeet and Ginger were visibly shaken. Phineas was too- only 20 minutes ago, he had been staring down the barrel of a gun leveled at his head. Phineas had been on the phone with the World Gamer Alliance- who said that they could be there in 5 hours. So the three waited.

The gunshot had not been headed for our heads. It was for the hand of the man with the gun ready to fire, thought Phineas.

A knock came at the front door. Ginger jumped into Baljeet's arms, and both were shaking violently. Phineas peeked out through the peephole, and then opened the door, but grabbed a modified laser pointer for protection. At the door was a boy, roughly 13 or 14 years old.

The boy, who had been sent as a messenger, spoke. "I come in peace."

Ginger and Baljeet were still huddled in the corner, faces pale with terror. When they realized that the messenger was unarmed and came in peace, they went to the table. Ginger, Baljeet, and the boy sat at the table, while Phineas stood and paced.

Ginger broke the silence. "Who are you? Why were we attacked? Why are you here?"

The boy spoke, in near perfect English, yet softly at first. "My name is Kazuma. I only play the role of messenger in the Gamer Alliance. My Cousin, Tai, was the founder of the Gamer Alliance in 1991, a club dedicated to the appreciation of Video Games."

He continued." In 1993, the year I was born, We received recognition from the World Gamer Alliance, and were granted a 7-year-membership. The man known as 'The Commander' joined in 1998. He and Tai did not get along- Tai believing in peaceful usage of Video Games, 'The Commander-' wanted to use it to enslave the world."

"In 2000, he murdered my cousin. Then he cut us out from the rest of the gaming world, and the rest of the gaming world from us. Many of us secretly hold World Gamer Alliance cards. Most of us want him out." He turned his head away. "He wants to kill you."

"Surely he doesn't want that, does he?" Chimed in Ginger hopefully.

Kazuma sighed. "Phineas' prominent membership in the WGA saved your lives. Had any of you been harmed, there would have been thousands of Gamers on the streets, trying to bring those responsible to justice."

He slid the envelope to Phineas, who was now standing at the edge of the table, before continuing. "He has challenged you to a race through the Kart District, on the most dangerous track known to racing."

As he got up to leave, he added "Be on your toes. He will try and do anything to harm you."

* * *

><p>The next 15 minutes would determine… something. Honor? That's probably it. If Phineas lost, then he would be 'dishonored…' except no one uses a duel to settle honor anymore.<p>

The 6 lined up at the starting line. Within what seemed to be mere seconds, they were already a mile into the race. Then the first guy tried to push Baljeet off the edge.

Baljeet braked and swerved, and the first GA thug fell off the track. But he survived uninjured, as he used his ejection seat and parachute to fall back to earth safely. His kart, however, was not so lucky, exploding into a large fireball upon impact.

The second thug rammed Baljeet in the back left, corner, causing him to spin out. The pipes in the back of the kart sprung leaks. Fuel, Brake Fluid, and Coolant sprayed out of Baljeet's kart, which also now had a fire in the gas tank. He himself ejected out, flying up 80 feet before opening his parachute.

The second thug had lost control after his kart lost traction on the cocktail of kart engine fluids on the track. Like the first, he survived, but his kart came to the same end. As did he- ejection seat, parachute- you get the picture.

The three remaining racers looked back to find themselves the only ones left. The Commander was the only one left, now. Silently, he began to creep up on Ginger. The turn was a minute away. Phineas turned around, and seeing Ginger in trouble, went to help.

The Commander leaned into the turn when another kart passed through his vision. Pulling out of his intended course, he prepared to make the same movement. And he did- the driver was pinned between him and a wall. The commander backed up quickly, then began to give chase to the other driver, who was directly in between him and the finish. Using a nitrous boost, he caught up to, what he believed was, Phineas.

It was, in fact, Ginger. As he stared at her with a stunned expression on his face, his kart began to slow down. As he rapidly tried to diagnose what was wrong, he caught a glimpse into his engine. There was a bright orange glow in areas. Rapidly, he also used the ejector seat/ parachute combination that had worked to let his thugs out of their doomed vehicles.

As he opened the parachute, he looked towards the finish, as Ginger crossed the finish line, the only one of the six racers to do so. Pulling out a walkie-talkie, he radioed in to the Gamer Alliance. "Get into position!"

The reply came as a shock. "You are under arrest."

"What for?"

"For murder, and 3 accounts of attempted murder. And that's just from today's report."

"You cannot capture me! I am a light feather, floating by on the breeze." He looked down. He was 20 feet above the ground.

The shots came and shot through the ropes of his parachute, and he fell. He was in such shock that he didn't bend his knees for impact, and sprained both ankles. The doctors came by with the Police an Firemen. The Police handcuffed him while the doctors told him how lucky he was to only have sprained ankles. Meanwhile the firemen put the kart fire out.

* * *

><p>Another fireman, police officer, and doctor rushed to where Phineas' crushed kart stood, right against the wall in that same position he had been put into 10 minutes before. They were astounded at how little damage the central kart (where Phineas was seated) had taken- the rest of the kart had become an effective barrier against Phineas being crushed himself- heck, he didn't even have a bruise. Nonetheless, they helped him out and the doctor ran a diagnostic check-up on Phineas. Finding nothing, the 4 walked back to the others, where Ginger, Baljeet and the others were, the kart now being completely extinguished.<p>

Ginger and Baljeet were talking, but when she saw Phineas, Ginger rushed over and wrapped him in a tight hug, thanking him repeatedly. Baljeet stood looking on awkwardly.

Standing behind the crowd was the President of the WGA himself, right next to Kazuma, and in front of several journalists and cameramen, and then in front of a huge crowd of people. Phineas carefully approached the pair, both beaming.

Kazuma spoke first. "Justice has been served, Phineas. Thank you."

Phineas, jokingly, responded, "Not exactly what I had planned for my second visit to Japan," causing the 5 of them to chuckle.

"With The Commander out, the line reverts back to me as leader." Sensing that Phineas was about to ask how The Commander was taken out, he responded, "His 2 thugs were working at the Police Headquarters, undermining the justice system. When they left, he forgot to replace them. Without them, his crimes were revealed. Of course, the first thing I will have to do is issue a formal apology for my predecessors' behavior-"

"After which, the World Gamer Alliance will acknowledge the Gamer Alliance's legitimacy as a partner.' The WGA President cut in. "Phineas, it is my pleasure to invite you to the next summit later this year, in Seattle."

"But that's only for the most prominent in the WGA, sir."

"I'm already dealing with that." Replied the WGA President with a twinkle in his eye.


	16. First Date

**First Date**

The next 2 landings and take-offs went flawlessly. Phineas seemed to be incredibly happy, and so were the other 5. And despite the delay caused by Tokyo, they were ahead of schedule. So, in light of the newest couple in the group, Gretchen suggested that they make it a 3 couple date. Phineas was trying to hold out to make Paris their first date, but eventually caved in.

The 6 began to walk around Sydney. After going to the Sydney Opera House, Ferb and Gretchen decided to go off on their own. That left Baljeet, Ginger, Phineas, and Isabella to go do their own thing. The girls decided to go shopping at a mall, at which point the boys looked at each other like the girls were crazy. Luckily, they kept it short.

* * *

><p>They then decided to walk along the beach, despite it being Winter in Australia. While doing so, Ginger spotted a group of dolphins chasing fish. There was one dolphin who was now chasing a fish close to the shore, and the 4 started to see who would win: Dolphin or Fish.<p>

Ginger and Phineas chose the Dolphin, while Isabella and Baljeet thought that the fish would win. To make the competition worth something, they bet $2 apiece.

It was looking like the fish was going to win. "Looks like you two owe us." Said Isabella.

Ginger then shouted out "Come on, Dolphin!"

Phineas added "You can do it!"

As if by some magic force, the dolphin began to gain on the fish.

Not wanting to lose, Baljeet and Isabella started to chant. "Fish! Fish! Fish! Fish!" The dolphin was 15, 20 feet behind. And it seemed to be losing ground.

Now Ginger returned the chanting: "Dol-phin! Dol-phin!"

The dolphin sped up again. Baljeet and Isabella started chanting louder. Phineas added commentary. "And the dolphin's gaining on the fish! Will the fish be able to shake the dolphin off? Right! Left! It's no good! The dolphin is still gaining!"

The dolphin caught up to the fish, and quickly grabbed it. "And it's all over! Dolphin wins!" Ginger began to jump up and down excitedly as Baljeet and Isabella reached for their wallets, and the dolphin began to munch on his well-won fish.

**A/N: Sorry it's a short chapter! But they've now traveled over a third of the globe! Well, from where I positioned them starting out. Thanks for reading and reviewing people!**


	17. The Great White Mausoleum

**The Great White Mausoleum**

**A/N: The Taj Mahal was built by a Mughal Emperor by the name of Shah Jahan. He built it to memorialize his 3rd wife, Mumtaz Mahal. ** So essentially, it IS a mausoleum.****

**It took over 30 years to build, and shortly after it was completed, his son Aurangzeb overthrew him. Gotta love family relationships.  
><strong>

Another 2 stops without fault, and Phineas was internally celebrating. This was the longest that an invention had survived!

This led to a much more relaxed Phineas, and the others were happy, too. By the time they had reached this point the last time, Phineas had already been stressing out by now. Though he had nearly broken down in Tokyo already.

Kheria Airport (located in Agra) was unable to accommodate the plane landing there, so they were told to land in New Delhi. This meant that they'd take a 70 minute train ride, but they were fine with that. As it was early, the group decided to sleep on the train, except for Baljeet. He decided to keep watch and read the paper. In it was a large section devoted to the reporters speculating about the future of Indian cricket- particularly their upcoming matches in Ireland and England (Guess who likes the latter!). The paper was predicting that the Indians would lose their One Day International (ODI) Series, yet win their Test series against England. He made a note to remember to have a bet with Ferb on that- he was as fervently for England as Baljeet was India.

* * *

><p>They got up and out of the train car when they reached their station, and from there, they walked to the Taj Mahal, arriving at about 8. They would spend the next few hour looking around in awe, and they even almost forgot to get the picture.<p>

Baljeet, turning to the others, said, "If it's alright with you guys, I'd like to do something."

"What is it?" asked Gretchen.

"Well, my family has a tradition of honoring the reason why the Taj Mahal was built…"

"Why was the Taj Mahal built?"

Without speaking, Phineas and Ginger got it. Phineas quickly whispered the answer in Ferb's ear. Then the boys grabbed the girls' hands.

Gretchen and Isabella were still confused. "Well?"

"…love."

It took the 2 girls a moment to process. And by that time- the boys had kissed them.

* * *

><p>The 6 boarded the train back to New Delhi to fly to their next destination. As they entered, Baljeet ran into an old childhood friend, and the 2 began talking, particularly about their old cricket club back home. Unfortunately, Baljeet got separated from the others, and did not notice that they had reached their station.<p>

The others got off, and the train began to pull away slowly. Realizing that Baljeet had not gotten off, Phineas tried to get them to stop the train.

Baljeet looked out the window, and his face drained of its usual color. He ran to an open window and saw Phineas running alongside the train. He was now sprinting to try and keep up.

Phineas yelled to Baljeet, "We'll meet you at the end!"

Baljeet quickly turned to his friend. "Where are we headed?"

"Home."

Baljeet quickly poked his head out the window again. "Ludhiana!"

"What about it?"

"That's where the train's headed!"

Phineas watched as Baljeet's train disappeared in the distance. Then he turned back to the others, and beckoned them to follow him.


	18. Train and Plane across India

**Train and Plane across India**

The 5 reached the airport 15 minutes later. After a quick call to the Ludhiana Airport, they went out to the plane.

They ran through the checklist as fast as possible (which still took 30 minutes), only to find out that the next opening was in another hour.

Another plane required repairs, and their timeslot was freed up. After taxiing out to the runway, Phineas stopped.

For a minute, Phineas just sat there.

This ticked Ferb off beyond belief. "What the hell are you waiting for? The freaking apocalypse?"

Slowly, and acting like he didn't hear Ferb, Phineas began to turn on the engines. Then, slowly, the plane began to build up speed, and before long, they were airborne. However, they were heading in the opposite direction, and Ferb knew that this was the case. They continued to do so for another 5 minutes.

Ferb finally lost it. "Dang it Phin! What the heck are you doing?"

Without looking back at his brother, Phineas replied, "You didn't listen to the take-off instructions, did you?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because the plane was heading to Sydney." Phineas began to turn right then. "The air traffic control people are guiding us out. There are several other planes' paths that we have to avoid."

The silence continued long after Phineas turned off the seat belt sign. And even when it wasn't silent any more, it was Ferb, Gretchen, and Ginger heading off for a nap. It was just Isabella and Phineas in the cockpit. They just sat there, Phineas beginning his summer reading list (the autopilot was on), Isabella reading through new leaders' applications.

Eventually, Phineas called everybody back into their seats. He gracefully landed, then tried to leave to go get Baljeet, but Ginger insisted on going, too. So Phineas turned towards the others and asked them to stay- but they began following them soon after.

Baljeet was spotted on the train platform with a group of kids dressed in cricket whites. As soon as Ferb saw Baljeet, he made little attempt to stay hidden, barging angrily towards Baljeet, when one stepped between them, saying, "Calm down, please. It was an easy mistake to make!"

"Ferb-" Phineas ran up to him, with a look of concern in his eyes.

Ferb ignored him, continuing to attempt to sidestep the Indian boy. However, the boy continued to stay between them. "Please, calm down!" For another minute or so, this routine continued, until Ferb shoved the boy aside, and he tumbled to the ground, falling in a mud puddle. Picking himself up, he groaned, "Oh great. Now I have to get my whites washed."

"You're a pathetic excuse for a cricketer, and I don't see how you can require those much."

The rest of the group turned towards Ferb angrily. "Do not say that about our star bowler!"

Just as they were about to attack him, several other kids in cricket whites surrounded Ferb. "Don't attack one of our own!"

"He's with you?"

"No, but he's British. And that's good enough for us."

"Okay, then. How about we settle this on the pitch tomorrow?"

"You're on! And we'll wipe the floor with you!"


	19. Fight on the Flight

**Fight on the Flight**

**A/N: Sorry for the Irregularity in publishing- It's currently my senior year of High School, and I have a bunch of College Applications to do, with the first deadlines at the end of the month. **

**However, I will let you guys know how that's going, as I will soon start to post updates on DeviantArt again- the link to my page is on my account. **

**Thanks for reading. -PFT  
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While Phineas attempted to speak to Ferb, the girls were joking around with Baljeet, talking about the cricket match that they watched, and this caused Ferb to get angrier and angrier. As Phineas approached Ferb, Ferb was at his breaking point, and he snapped, "What?"

"I was just seeing how you were doing."

"Great," replied Ferb sarcastically. "Just great."

"What's wrong?"

"We lost."

"It's all right Ferb, not everyone can win all the time, and you were unlucky."

Just then, they started to play improvised game of cricket with an old notebook and several wadded up pieces of paper. It was really more of a game of catch than anything else, actually, but it was enough to make Ferb's anger boil over. He stormed over to Baljeet and picked them up by the scruff of his neck. Ginger and Phineas angrily got between Ferb and Baljeet. First, he pushed Ginger out of the way, causing her to fall to the floor, and it caused everyone there to gasp.

" You don't do that to a girl!" Yelled Phineas." And why are you treating Baljeet like you're Buford?"

"He's mocking me, and I don't like being mocked!"

"He's not mocking you, he was joking around with the girls!"

"Whatever you say." He began to walk back to the cockpit.

"Seriously, what is with you? You never act like this!"

"You want to know what's wrong? You, who used me for so many years, want to know what's wrong?"

"How did I use you?"

"Every invention we built. Who did most of building? Me. Who got most of the credit? You."

"I gave you credit!"

"Barely any. Who taught you how to play cricket? Me and dad. Who got selected over me? You."

"I told you, I didn't have any say in that!"

Ferb scoffed. "Maybe you did. Who built most of this airplane? Who is going to get the most benefit out of this plane? Because I can tell you it isn't the same person!"

Phineas lost it. "Without those plans, you couldn't do anything! Who is the person who made those? Me. Who helped you and your girlfriend get together? Me. Which one of us wants to start charging people? Which one of us wants to taint our names like that? You. And I'm sorry I got selected over you. Truly! But there is nothing I can do about it! Stop taking your temper on everyone else!"

"Why you little –"Ferb angrily grabbed Phineas, pulling him into a tight headlock, and making it hard for him to breathe. Gretchen walked up to him, and stopped him with a Vulcan Pinch.

As Ferb crumpled to the floor, Isabella, Gretchen, and Baljeet carried him to his bunk. Phineas staggered back, quickly regained his composure and going to the Pilot's seat.

Ginger was still on the floor, as she had been when Ferb pushed her. After getting up and dusting herself off, she looked towards the front, before joining the others in the back.


End file.
